Tag Archives: eurasian otter

How to recognise Otters and what to do and to avoid

What follows is based on over 350 encounters with Otters, most of which took place on the islands off the west coast of Scotland. The comments on behaviour therefore refer to this area. This first article considers how you can distinguish an Otter in the sea from a Seal and what you should do or avoid when watching Otters.

It is strange that Otters are one of Britain’s most popular wild animals, when in most of its range it is mostly active during darkness or twilight but undoubtedly this animal is hugely popular. However, you need to be very lucky to see one in most of the UK, but north-west of the border with Scotland, the situation is different.